Centrifugal pump mount

ABSTRACT

Drive belt tension adjustment means for adjustably controlling the belt coupling between a stationary drive shaft and the drive pulley of a rotary pump. The structure employs a drive pulley having an axial bore with inner and outer housing ends disposed therealong. The inner housing end functions as a female sleeve for receiving the stationary drive shaft, while the outer housing is provided with bearing means journably receiving an off-set camming adjustment shaft. The free outward end of the off-set camming adjustment shaft is provided with a radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means for controllably adjusting the arcuate disposition of the off-set camming adjustment shaft relative to the axis of the central hub. This controllable adjustment is utilized to establish the spacing between the drive pulley means and the rotary pump shaft so as to adjustably control belt tension, and provide a compact assembly which may be covered by a shroud.

baited States atet [1 1 Fareja Feb. 4, 1975 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP MOUNT [75] Inventor: Ramon Pareja, Minneapolis, Minn.

{73] Assignee: Lear Siegler, Inc., Santa Monica,

Calif.

22 Filed: Sept. 10,1973

21 App]. No.: 395,579

[52] U.S. Cl. 74/242.16 [51] Int. Cl. ..F16h 7/10 [58] Field of Search 74/242.16

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,681,533 6/1954 Logeman 74/242.l6 X 2,909,074 10/1959 Scheiterlein 74/242.16 3,416,384 12/1968 Maca 74/242.l6

Primary Examiner-Leonard H. Gerin [57] ABSTRACT Drive belt tension adjustment means for adjustably controlling the belt coupling between a stationary drive shaft and the drive pulley of a rotary pump. The structure employs a drive pulley having an axial bore with inner and outer housing ends disposed therealong. The inner housing end functions as a female sleeve for receiving the stationary drive shaft, while the outer housing is provided with bearing means journably receiving an off-set camming adjustment shaft. The free outward end of the off-set camming adjustment shaft is provided with a radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means for controllably adjusting the arcuate disposition of the offset camming adjustment shaft relative to the axis of the central hub. This controllable adjustment is utilized to establish the spacing between the drive pulley means and the rotary pump shaft so as to adjustably control belt tension, and provide a compact assembly which may be covered by a shroud.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures lll llll PATENTE D 1% 3,863,517 SHEET 2 OF 3 WWI FIEQE PATENTED FEB 4mm SHEET 3 OF 3 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP MOUNT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to an improved centrifugal pump mount, and more specifically to an improved centrifugal pump mount utilizing an off-set camming adjustment shaft for controllably adjusting the tension in the drive belt. The mounting assembly of the present invention makes it possible to enclose and otherwise cover the moving and working parts of such an assembly by a simple compact shroud enclosure.

Centrifugal pumps are frequently employed in the agricultural industry for a wide variety of purposes, including transfer, spray, and other applications. These pumps may employ an impeller with either rigid or flexible vanes, or, in the alternative, may employ rotors with radially movable rollers disposed therewithin. Included in the definition of rotary pumps would be piston type pumps having an eccentric with a rotary drive such as a pulley or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improved centrifugal pump mount of the present invention renders it possible to provide proper belt tensioning without the necessity of utilizing an idler which will normally be interposed in the intervening span which exists between the driver pulley and the driven pulley. For certain applications, a spring-biased idler has been employed to maintain belt tension, and for achieving compactness in the system, the belt is formed into a compound or backward are by means of an inwardly biased or directed idler. Such a system adversely affects the life of certain belts, particularly V- belts which are adapted for motion in a predetermined direction only.

In order to further achieve compactness in the design, the apparatus of the present invention utilizes the axis of a stationary rotating shaft for a datum point, thus utilizing this axis as a base for the camming or belt tensioning mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to obtain camming of the mechanism directly off of the power take-off (PTO) shaft of a conventional farm tractor or the like. It will be appreciated, of course, that the apparatus is further adapted and finds utility in use with other sources of rotary power, including stationary motors and the like wherein a centrifugal pump may be mounted for occasional duty.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, a drive belt tension adjustment means is provided for controlling belt tension between a stationary drive shaft and the shaft ofa rotary pump device spaced from the stationary shaft. The system includes a drive pulley means having a peripheral belt receiving drive surface which is adapted for mounting directly onto the stationary drive shaft, with the hub of the drive pulley extending through the entire drive pulley means, and providing an outwardly disposed housing end which is arranged to receive an off-set camming adjustment shaft therewithin. Suitable bearings are provided within the inner periphery of the outer housing in order to receive the off-set camming adjustment shaft in appropriate disposition. A cup housing is provided for mounting on the outwardly disposed off-set camming adjustment shaft, with the cup housing having a bracket means secured thereto for mountably receiving the rotary pump housing. A radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means is coupled to the outer portion of the off-set camming adjustment shaft whereby controllable adjustment of the arcuate disposition of the adjustment shaft provides controlled spacing between the axes of the drive pulley and the off-set portion of the adjustment shaft.

The arrangement is compact and may be entirely enclosed within the confines of a shield or shroud, whereby all moving and working parts are isolated and enclosed.

In actual operation, the mounting assembly of the present invention makes it possible to controllably adjust the belt tension from a point which extends axially outwardly from the main power shaft, which is primar ily the PTO shaft of a conventional tractor or the like. The system renders it possible to control belt tension by manipulation of a simple camming arm which is arranged on approximately the axial extension of the PTO shaft, thereby being extremely accessable.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved drive belt tension apparatus for controllable adjustment of the belt tension between a pulley disposed on a stationary drive shaft, and a remote pulley from the input of a rotary pump drive means.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved drive belt tension apparatus for rotary pump devices wherein an off-set camming ad justment shaft is arranged to controllably space the rotary pump mechanism from a stationary rotary power shaft.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved drive belt tension apparatus which permits adjustable control of the belt tension be-' tween a driven pulley and a spaced rotary pump drive whereby the apparatus is compact, durable, and without need for idler pulleys and adjusting and maintaining belt tension.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a study' of the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the centrifugal pump mounting assembly of the pres ent invention mounted on the power take-off shaft of a conventional farm tractor;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, partially broken away, of the centrifugal pump mounting assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the centrifugal pump mounting assembly of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with the preferred modification of the present invention, and with particular attention being directed to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the mounting assembly generally designated 10 includes a drive pulley means ll carrying drive belts l212 in engagement with pulley 13 which is fast on pump shaft M of centrifugal pump generally designated 15. Also, in achieving a coupling arrangement between pulley l1 and pump 15, a main mounting bracket or cup housing 16 is employed which, at least indirectly, is coupled to the main drive pulley ll.

As is indicated in phantom, and partially broken away, PTO shaft 18 engages the inner periphery of a first housing or inner housing 20 formed in the body of pulley means 11. Conventional set screws or the like. such as shown at 21, along with locking or jam nuts 22 are employed to secure the pulley 11 and its accompanying structure to PTO shaft 18. At the opposed end of pulley ll! there is a counter-bore as at 24, in which are received thrust bearings 25 and 16, these bearings forming a shaft receiving zone adjacent the inner races thereof as at 27, wherein offset camming adjustment shaft 30 is disposed. In order to appropriately retain the assembly in tact, lock rings are provided as at 31 and 32, with the former being secured to a groove formed in adjustment shaft 30 as at 33, and with the latter being retained in a recessed groove in the body of housing 34 as at 35. A spacer ring may be interposed as at 36 in order to achieve a proper axial length for the bearing assembly.

As is apparent in the drawings, drive pulley lll is provided with a peripheral belt receiving drive surface as at 40, with a pair of V-grooves being shown at 41 and 42. As is also apparent, pulley 13 which is secured to shaft 14 of pump is provided with mating V-grooves for receiving belts l2ll2 therewithin, with these grooves being shown at 43 and 44.

Turning now to the details of the off-set camming adjustment shaft means, it will be observed that the inner portion of the off-set camming adjustment shaft 30, such as shown at 45, is axially off-set and eccentric to the outer portion 46, with the respective centers being shown by center lines identified at 45a and 46a respectively. Off-set portion 460 is received within and confined within cup housing means 16, with bore 48 being provided for that purpose. A radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means shown generally at 50 is provided for adjustably locking the system in place once proper belt tension has been achieved. In the arcuately adjustable lock means 50, a radially extending stud or bolt is provided as at 51, with this bolt being received within threaded bore 52 formed within adjustment shaft segment 46. A locking nut is provided as at 53 for controlling the arcuate disposition of bolt 51 relative to housing means 16. Because of the eccentric relationships involved, the slotted area formed in cup housing means 16, as at 55 is from between about 90 and 120 of arc. although. for maximum throw. l80 of arc could be employed. For structural purposes. however. it is normally deemed preferred to restrict the arcuate opening to the above stated limits, although other lighter limits may be tolerated if desired.

At the base of cup housing means 16, there is provided a mounting flange or bracket as at 57 for receiving the pump mounting bracket in complementary mounted form thereon, the pump mounting bracket being shown at 58. Pump 15 may be of any of the centrifugal varieties discussed above, with one such pump being disclosed and claimed in US. Pat. No. 3,583,825, Harry J. Sadler, et al., which patent is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

With continued attention being directed to FIG. 3 of the drawings, it will be observed that shield or shroud means 60 are provided for enclosing the drive pulley means ll, the pulley means 13, as well as the intervening belt occupying span disposed therebetween. Shield or shroud 60 is secured to the rear face of cup housing means 16 by appropriate fastening screws or the like, as shown at 61 and 62. Relief openings or the like are formed within shield 60 as at 63 and 64 in order to accommodate for relative shifting of position between cup housing means 16 and the center axis of drive pulley means 11. This adjustment may be accomplished therefore, without requiring any predetermined change in position of any of the other components of the assembly.

ln actual operation, a torque chain attachment will normally be provided, such as is illustrated at in FIG. 3. For most purposes, therefore, a through-bolt will be provided for mounting on the body of pump 15, which will extend, preferably generally vertically, to a stationary point of attachment on the frame of the driving tractor or other source of driving power. ln addition, of course, appropriate hoses will be provided for the inlet and outlet respectively of pump 15.

While the centrifugal pump mount has been illustrated in connection with one specific pump embodiment, it will be appreciated, of course, that the system is adaptable for use with a wide variety of centrifugal pump structures, including, but not limited to, centrifugal pumps with either rigid or flexible vanes, or with conventional roller pumps, or the like.

As a further advantage of the structure of the present invention, the RPM requirements of the system are such that the pump can be provided with 3600 RPM of power from either the 500 RPM or 1000 RPM power take-off shafts of conventional farm tractors. For example, for the 1000 RPM PTO shafts, which are normally located at two locations on the tractor structures, the system will utilize a pulley ratio of 3.78:1 to achieve 3780 RPM on the pump shaft. Also, for suitable results, a pulley ratio of 5.87:1 may be employed for the 500 RPM PTO shaft to achieve approximately 3200 RPM on the pump shaft. This pulley arrangement will permit the centrifugal pump to be driven at a speed which is slightly below the normal drive speed of 4200 RPM for agricultural centrifugal pumps.

I claim:

ll. Drive belt tension adjustment means for controlling the belt coupling of a stationary drive shaft to a driven pulley and a relatively spaced rotary pump drive means and comprising:

a. drive pulley means having a peripheral belt receiving drive surface and adapted for mounting directly onto a stationary drive shaft and including a central hub with an axial bore extending therethrough with axially spaced and aligned bore segments forming concentrically arranged inner and outer housing segments, said bore being adapted to receive said drive shaft within the inner housing segment end thereof and arranging for rotation of said drive pulley with said drive shaft;

b. rotary pump means having a drive means disposed in spaced axial disposition from said drive pulley and having belt receiving drive means for engagement with a drive belt disposed upon said peripheral belt receiving drive surface, said drive pulley means and said pump drive means defining an belt occupying span therebetween;

c. annular bearing means disposed within said outer housing segment and arranged to receive an off-set camming adjustment shaft in journaled relationship therewithin;

d. off-set camming adjustment shaft means disposed within said annular shaft bearing means and having two axially spaced mutually eccentrically arranged segments in continuation, one with the other, the inner one of said segments being received within said shaft bearing means and with the other of said mutually eccentrically arranged segments extending axially outwardly therefrom;

. cup housing means for said outwardly disposed offset shaft segment mounted on the outwardly disposed segment of said off-set adjustment shaft, and including a shaft receiving bore and a radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means secured to said outwardly disposed segment for controllably adjusting and releasably retaining the arcuate disposition of said off-set camming adjustment shaft relative to the axis of said central hub; and

f. bracket means secured to said eccentric housing means for mountably receiving said rotary pump thereon.

2. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim ll being particularly characterized in that shield means are provided enclosing and isolating said drive pulley means, said belt receiving drive means, and the said intervening belt occupying span disposed therebetween.

3. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim 2 being particularly characterized in that said shield means are secured to the inner surface of said cup housing means.

4-. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that axial lock means are provided for fixing the axial position of said off-set camming adjustment shaft within the outer housing segment of said drive pulley means.

5. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim I being particularly characterized in that means are provided for securing a torque attachment to the body of said rotary pump means.

k n g 

1. Drive belt tension adjustment means for controlling the belt coupling of a stationary drive shaft to a driven pulley and a relatively spaced rotary pump drive means and comprising: a. drive pulley means having a peripheral belt receiving drive surface and adapted for mounting directly onto a stationary drive shaft and including a central hub with an axial bore extending therethrough with axially spaced and aligned bore segments forming concentrically arranged inner and outer housing segments, said bore being adapted to receive said drive shaft within the inner housing segment end thereof and arranging for rotation of said drive pulley with said drive shaft; b. rotary pump means having a drive means disposed in spaced axial disposition from said drive pulley and having belt receiving drive means for engagement with a drive belt disposed upon said peripheral belt receiving drive surface, said drive pulley means and said pump drive means defining an belt occupying span therebetween; c. annular bearing means disposed within said outer housing segment and arranged to receive an off-set camming adjustment shaft in journaled relationship therewithin; d. off-set camming adjustment shaft means disposed within said annular shaft bearing means and having two axially spaced mutually eccentrically arranged segments in continuation, one with the other, the inner one of said segments being received within said shaft bearing means and with the other of said mutually eccentrically arranged segments extending axially outwardly therefrom; e. cup housing means for said outwardly disposed off-set shaft segment mounted on the outwardly disposed segment of said offset adjustment shaft, and including a shaft receiving bore and a radially extending arcuately adjustable lock means secured to said outwardly disposed segment for controllably adjusting and releasably retaining the arcuate disposition of said off-set camming adjustment shaft relative to the axis of said central hub; and f. bracket means secured to said eccentric housing means for mountably receiving said rotary pump thereon.
 2. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that shield means are provided enclosing and isolating said drive pulley means, said belt receiving drive means, and the said intervening belt occupying span disposed therebetween.
 3. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claiM 2 being particularly characterized in that said shield means are secured to the inner surface of said cup housing means.
 4. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that axial lock means are provided for fixing the axial position of said off-set camming adjustment shaft within the outer housing segment of said drive pulley means.
 5. The drive belt tension adjustment means as defined in claim 1 being particularly characterized in that means are provided for securing a torque attachment to the body of said rotary pump means. 